The invention relates to a method for the authentication of at least two agricultural devices coupled via a data bus and an authentication device for carrying out the method.
In order to carry out certain types of agricultural work, it is necessary to couple at least two agricultural devices in a manner that is mechanical and/or hydraulic and/or pneumatic and/or electrical. In order to perform harvesting work, for example, it may be necessary to couple a first agricultural device embodied as a tractor to a second agricultural device embodied as a harvesting machine. In that case, the harvesting machine is moved forward by means of the tractor, wherein the tractor provides mechanical power and/or hydraulic power and/or pneumatic power and/or electric power in order to operate the harvesting machine.
Furthermore, modern agricultural devices can be coupled on the control side in order to exchange control-side data, specifically via a data bus. One option, for example, is for a harvesting machine to influence the operation of the tractor, for example, in that the harvesting machine requests more power from the tractor and/or influences the direction of motion of the tractor. It must be ensured that an influencing of the operation of the tractor by the harvesting machine does not result in unsafe operating states on the tractor, in addition, the tractor must not induce unsafe operating states on the harvesting machine. It should therefore be ensured that only properly allowed and certified agricultural devices are coupled to one another on the control side. This can take place by authenticating the agricultural devices that are coupled via the data bus.
Based on practical experience, it is known to perform authentication of agricultural devices coupled via a data bus whereby an operator of the agricultural devices calls up authentication codes via the Internet or via wireless communication n and/or enters these authentication codes by him or herself. According to these known methods, input from the operator is required and, therefore, the authentication is susceptible to error. In addition, access to the Internet or wireless communication is unavailable on the field at times and, therefore, authentication cannot be performed.